Need For Speed meets Forza Motorsport

User Rating: 8.5 | Forza Horizon X360
I like this game. Pure and simple. I have been a fan of the Forza franchise since switching over from Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec, and I have always appreciated the realistic simulation style that Forza 2, 3, and 4 delivered, but I wanted to be able incorporate this with that "Fast and Furious" look and feel.

Enters Forza Horizon. From the moment I started playing, I knew this game was going to be special. Open-world racing, tons of cars ranging from low-end Hondas and VW's to Lambo's and Ferrari's (They even threw in the Bugatti Veyron SS), Great presentation and graphics, a nice selection of music used for the soundtrack featuring bands like the Black Keys and Lostprophets and DJ remixes from Skrillex and others.

The game's storyline is your basic "zero-to-hero-nobody-to-somebody-rags-to-riches" type. Playing as a no-name driver, You race against others during the infamous "Horizon" festival up in Colorado. 250 of the countries best underground street and road racers culminate to compete for a shot at being the annual champion who, for the last 3 years, has been held by the game's main antagonist, Darius. Obviously, your task is to make a name for yourself and get involved in the mix of the elite drivers at the festival.

Long story short, it's Forza with a NFS Underground look and feel.

Those were the good things, and the following is the downside of the game:

Like the previous Forza games, a player can tune each car they acquire to their liking. However, this option has now been reduced down to the player being able to set the dead zones for the steering and braking strengths that will be applied to all vehicles via the option menu. This may be easier for the causal gamer, but for the hardcore racing gamer this may fault the game slightly.

There is only cosmetic damage in the game. In previous installments, crashes would have serious effects on your vehicle's ability drive. Once again, casual gamers need not apply.

The game's customization levels are still in great detail, but I would have like to be able to add more than a front and rear spoiler to some of the vehicles in the game. Minor infraction to a great game.

The soundtrack could have been a little more diverse and intense. Some tracks I can't wait to hear while others made me turn off the radio completely. Those that aren't a fan of the new wave dubstep music will not be pleased with this.

The difficulty levels jump dramatically from medium to hard/Insane. Players who have completed the single player mode know this towards the end of the game.

Outside of those seemingly minor infractions, this is one of the best arcade/simulation hybrid racing games I've played since "GRID." I strongly recommend those that are looking for a good racing game to play for the holiday season to purchase this game.